Teacher's Pet

I feel back on track.

My first week of school went well. After a bit of shopping, I’m enrolled in three courses, worth a lucky 13 credits:

Afrikaans Intensive I

This class happily reminds me of kindergarten. We started with the alphabet, and have progressed to greetings, descriptions, and some verbs. It’s true that you can get around most parts of South Africa with English alone, but every little bit more helps with cultural understanding and communication. Plus I was able to find the cookie aisle at the grocery store in Stellenbosch over the weekend before anyone else.

South African Political Thought

South Africa? Politics? Count me in. We’re starting with primary documents from the Anglo-Boer War and ploughing through to modern issues. The professor quasi-shot down something that I said in class yesterday; I’ve decided he looks a bit like a zebra anyway.

Workers, Trade Unions, and Rights

At the risk of being disowned, I’m taking this course for insight into labour relations here and especially into COSATU, or the Congress of South African Trade Unions, which forms part of the country’s governing coalition. When my American friends and I speak in this class, the professor “translates” our accents to be funny. I think he’d go easier on me if he realized that I’m from Canada, land of universal health care.

Outside of school, I’ve gotten involved in two volunteer projects through SHAWCO, or the Student Health and Wellness Centres Organization, which was one of my draws to Cape Town. They are:

STEP (Student Tutors Education Project)

On Monday afternoons, this program transports student volunteers to a black Xhosa-speaking township called Khayelitsha on the outskirts of the city to teach an after-school program. I share a class of eleven Grade 4 students with another girl and we cover a range of academic and life skills subjects, mainly math and English. The kids are cute and their English is better than I’d expected. When I had everyone introduce themselves on the first day, I greeted them with the African handshake, which got them excited.

Masizame Project

I don’t start on this one until next week, but on Thursday evenings, I’ll be going to a children’s home with other student volunteers to organize an evening program of fun, games, and life skills for the young girls who live there. I’m sure I’ll feel strong Angelina Jolie-type impulses. Many of the girls do still have parents who they see on weekends or during holidays, but are unable to take care of them on a regular basis.

So all of these things have put some structure and meaning back into my trip and I’m very happy about it.

I'm also very happy about the awesome weekend I spent with seven of my American friends in Stellenbosch, a small Afrikaner town about 30 minutes from Cape Town. Firstly, it put me at ease to be back in a place where the buildings don’t block the horizon. And our destination, the Stellenbosch Wine Festival, was a worthy one. What a brilliant concept! Booth after booth of representatives pouring glasses of local wine. Some glasses coming with crackers or chocolate to complement them. And in the middle of it all, like an oasis, a conveyor belt – yes – bringing fancy cheeses and meats around and around and around for you. At closing, and after much bonding, we made our way back to our hostel – the appropriately named ‘Stumble Inn.’

In fact, we all bonded so much on that first trip that we’re arranging for a second one this weekend, which is a holiday weekend here. The holiday, on Thursday, is for Women’s Day – I’m telling you, it’s a great country – and our destination is the Garden Route, a scenic area that runs east along the coast from Cape Town towards Port Elizabeth.

Now the only problem is regaining my voice, which I mysteriously lost at the wine festival…

New purchases in hand, ready to head out!